[not quite Barbie]

Nicole,
I don't think you offended anyone, it's just that you made the assumption that we all start out in the same stage. My surgeon had me eating oatmeal the day after surgery while I was still in the hospital and sent me home in the pureed stage (stage 3). But many get sent home on two weeks of clear liquids (stage 1), then 2 weeks of creamy liquids (stage 2). So you see, posting what's in your binder may help a few that don't get a lot of info from their surgeon, but most of us do get the info and have to follow what our surgeon tells us.

Kat,
The few times I barfed were when I ate too fast and/or tried to put too much food in the pouch. I remember talking to my nut and telling here I barbed after 5 strawberries and she pointed out how "much" food that was for my new tiny pouch. It's really hard to get your head around eating, and surviving!!!, off of such small amounts of food.

You will probably think I'm crazy to say this, but "Enjoy this period, because it doesn't last long". You will soon be able to eat more and more, and more variety too. So take advantage of this period where you can barely eat and don't feel any hunger to establish the good eating habits that you will need 2 years from now.

Try taking just one tiny bite and putting the spoon/fork down. Don't read, or watch TV or play on the computer while you eat. Concentrate on how that one bite feels in your tummette (love that word!). If it doesn't feel really good, or it's starting to grumble, push the plate away.

Stick with the freshest food you can find. I couldn't do anything canned or processed, nor could I eat leftovers for a long time (at least a year). I did find some lunchmeats that were "pure", that didn't have a lot of additives. You will certainly have to spend a lot of time reading labels until you know which foods are "safe".

Hang in there, this too shall pass.

[naykrin]

Nichole---please don't you worry about "offending" us!! It takes a heck of a lot to do that!! I don't know about everyone else, but I have a thick skin and am here for advice from EVERYONE. I want it plain and right to the point. Everyone is a font of knowledge here, even the "newbies".

CT was right about all of use seeming to be on a different diet schedule. Heck, even the surgeons in my own office did every single thing different from the surgeries to the food afterward. I think I got the good end of the stick! Dr F did lap and DR Nye still does open. And everything is very radically different between them both diet wise.

I was released on puree and told to progress to the soft when I can. MEAT=NOT!!!! I can tolerant everything but the meat it seems, so back to the puree for that with gravies and cream soups added for "lubricant". I just wish they made itty cans of soup or those big jars they used to make so you could scoop out what you need. . I have containers stacked all over my fridge. I use the deli meat for variety, so it will be zipped up to bits too.

I am getting rice crispies today which has me excited. Amd itty bitty soft bagels that I am going to chew chew chew without toasting. Those will definitely calm my stomette. And I can eat soups with noodles and such if it goes down well. I am also going to try smushy pasta with cream of mushroom soup--one of my fave comfort food that always calms my ills.

Last night I had the rest of the DH's green beans for my last meal and I savored each one. Had to fight off a cat, but it is amazing how much my body did miss the green stuff. I can eat canned asparagus, so watch out! 1 oz is probably one stick, lol.

It is time to get out my food scale if I can find it. If not I have to get another one.

Soft soft soft food and zoomed up meat. And plenty of soups.

It will be at least another month before I can progress further, and then only if I am taking this part of the diet well. If not I am calling my nurse and getting her advice.

[Perfesser]

Nicole, I hope you will accept that I never thought of you as being snippy or in any way out of line. In your experience, all the surgeons you know say pretty much the same thing. In my surgeon's practice are three surgeons. Each of them has a different transition plan to get from surgery to real food. The nurses think it's kind of funny, but they enforce each surgeon's plan for each individual patient.

I was just observing that, with all the different plans out there, posting one specific plan could give someone else the wrong impression. Awhile back, there were a few newbies who were picking and choosing components from a lot of different plans posted by others. That's not the way to success! I just didn't want some who may be less informed than you to think they could ignore specific advice from their surgeon in favor of something more "appealing."

Friends?

CT

[RC59105]

Personally I couldn't eat meats of any kind for quite awhile after my surgery, and now a year out there are still some that I can't tolerate at all and totally avoide for now.
I thought I could eat string beans from my garden as long as I cooked them to a very tender point but much to my surprise I couldn't even tolerate my string beans. But that is how my stomach is with me, I have learned what foods to avoide by trial and error, once you have a problem with something you eat its pretty easy to remember to avoide it for awhile, at least for me it was.
There are people I swim with who can eat anything and everything, and I get jealous of them sometimes but at other times, I feel lucky to not be able to eat some of the foods I used to eat for much different reasoning then one would imagine.

[naykrin]

I can only eat mushy veg at this time, so don't know when I will see "fresh" stuff. Probably after the season is totally over!!

[gailsiz]

Yes, I agree with you. My Doc was one who gave the folder of info and a specific program of gradual progression back into regular foods with lists of what would be acceptable to eat and so forth. It was a pain in the butt on one hand but as I experienced it - it was much appreciated. So I understand why sometimes we question what someone is eating or doing at a time during their recovery when we would not have attempted it - because we were warned about it ahead of time. Just be careful because if it doesn't work, or feel right then it probably isn't.